Dental tool sharpening device



Dec. 11, 1951 M R A 2,578,081

' DENTAL TOOL SHARPENING DEVICE Filed July 20, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Cham A Miller Samuel L. Harder IN VENTORJ' BY MM EM 1951 c. A. MILLER ETALDENTAL TOOL SHARPENING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Shet 2 Filed July 20, 1948 Fig.7.-

Fig.3.

"Kimm Chan! A Miller Samuel L. Border INVENTORS 11,1951 c. A. MILLERETAL 2,578,081

DENTAL TOOL SHARPENING DEVICE Filed July 20, 1948 I s Sheets-Sheet 3 5 Fi n I i 4 I 5 r i 1 I I 1 1 5 i v i n Chant A. Miller Samuel L. BorderINVENTOM Patented Dec. 11, 1951 DENTAL TOOL SHARPENING DEVICE Chant A.Miller, Winamac, and Samuel L. Border, Monon, Ind.

Application July 20, 1948, Serial No. 39,598 2 Claims. (01. 51-59) Thepresent invention relates to new and useful improvements in tool orinstrument holding and sharpening devices and more particularly to adevice of this character for sharpening dental instruments.

An important object of the invention is to provide a dental toolsharpening device for holding and sharpening various types of tools andembodying means for holding the tool or instrument at a proper anglewith respect to a reciprocating sharpening stone to effect thesharpening thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tool holder embodyingmeans for adjusting the angle of the tool longitudinally as well astransversely of a reciprocating sharpening stone in accordance with thebevel of the tool to maintain the original bevel of the tool during thesharpening action and to provide dials to indicate both the longitudinaland transverse angle of the tool.

Another object of the invention is to provide a longitudinallyadjustable'tool holder for placing the tool at a proper starting pointwith respect to the reciprocating stone during the sharpening process.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a manuallyoperated reciprocating sharpening stone with means connecting a rockabletool supporting arm to the reciprocating mechanism whereby a tool islowered into a sharpening position at one end of the stone at thebeginning of its sharpening stroke and to raise the tool out of contactwith the stone during its return stroke.

A still further object is to provide an apparatus of this character ofsimple, practical and compact construction, which is eificient andreliable in operation, relatively inexpensive to manufac ture'andotherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein likenumerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

- Figure 1 is a side elevational view;

Figure 2 is a top plan view;

Figure 3 is an end elevational view;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view through the housing or tablefor the reciprocating stone taken substantially on a line 4-4 of Figure3; i I

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional; view taken substantially one line5-5 of Figure 1; v

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on a line 6-6of Figure 5 and showing the cam for rocking the tool holder;

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the stop limitingthe rocking movement of the tool holder and taken substantially on aline 'l--'I of Figure 1;

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of the toolclamp for the tool holder and the indicating scale for the longitudinalangle of the tool and taken substantially on a line 8-8 of Figure 1;

Figure 9 is an enlarged sectional view of the transverse angle adjustingmeans and indicating scale for the tool holding arm taken substantiallyon a line 9-.9 of Figure 3; and,

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the rotating bushing for the toolsupporting arm.

Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein for the purpose ofillustration we have disclosed a preferred embodiment of the inventionthe numeral 5 designates a substantially rectangular shaped hollow baseor housing having a top 6 provided with a longitudinal slot 1 to providea table in which a sharpening stone tray 8 is positioned forreciprocating movement in the slot, the tray supporting a sharpeningstone 9 therein and formed in its surface with longitudinal grooves l0shaped to accommodate various sizes and types of tools to be sharpened.The tray 8 is suitably secured on top of a slide ll of laminatedconstruction to the corners-of which rollers I2 are journaled fortraveling in tracks l3 secured to the underside of top 6 at each side ofthe slot 1.

A bar [4 is suitably secured to the underside of slide H in a transverseposition and is formed with a slot l5 extending transversely of theslide to provide a track in which a roller l6 travels, the roller beingsupported on the upper surface at the free end of a horizontallyswinging arm ll which is secured at its other end to the upper end of avertical shaft [8 secured in a substantially rectangular frame I!supported in an upright position in the base 5.

A bevel gear 20 is secured to shaft 18 and is driven by a bevel gear 2|secured on the inner end ,of a horizontal shaft 22 journaled in theframe l9 and extending outwardly through one side of the base 5 and tothe outer end of which is secured a handle 23.

A stationary shaft 24 is supported in a pair of hangers 25 at one end ofthe base 5 with a rocker arm 26 pivoted at one end to the shaft andextending longitudinally in the base with 3 its free end riding on a cam2i secured to shaft 22. A coil spring 28 attached to the underside ofrocker arm 26 holds its free end downwardly on the cam.

A pair of posts 29 are pivoted at their lower ends on the end portionsof shaft 24 and project upwardly through slots 38 in the top and in theadjacent end portion of the base for forward and rearward rockingmovement of the posts. An L-sh'apedblock 3i 'and spacing block 32 aresecured to rocker arm 26 and a substantially semi-circular plate 33 issuitably secured to the lower end of an adjacent post 29 withanarcuateslot 34 therein to receive a set screw 35 projecting through an opening36-inthe adjacent side of the base and threaded into the upstandingportion of the L-shaped block 31, i i-knurled knob 31 is formed on theouter end of set screw 35 and a washer 38 is carried by the set screw tobear against the plate 33 to lock the post in a-'liniit'ed's'wingingniovement to rocker arm "2%, "the opening 36 being 'of"sufficient diameter to permit movementofs'et'screw 35 during limitedrocking movement of the post.

The upper '"e nds of posts '29 are connected. to each other foruniformrbckin'g movement by *a cross bar 33 in the ends of which setscrews id are threaded working in vertical slots It! in the upper endsof the -posts to secure the cross bar in vertically adjusted-position onthe posts.

The crossbar is seated in-'a groove #2 at the top of a guide block "4'3whichds secured to the cross bar-'andadjus'tabletransversely of table ortop *6 by a set 'screw 41! freely positioned in a slot in thecrossbarandthreaded downwardly into a bushing 46 suitably 'secured inblock 43.

n deht'al tool supporting arm ii is slidabl'e and rotatable in the block43 and bushing W6, the armbeing rounded in'c'ross section and having afiat'sidefi against which is held a stationary filler strip ifi by meansor an internal pin "'55 carried by a "bushing 5! "rotating in the block,the bushing '5l having 'acircumferential groove '52 receivin "a*s'et-screwts to hold the bushing against "endwise movement. The fillerstrip "43 restores the "roundedco'rrtour of the position of arin "47positioned in {block 43.

"A semi-dream *dial plate 54 is "secured in a fiXed-position tb thefrontend-of-bl'o'ck 13 by a bracket tifi and is providedat'its front facewith a scale 5S-graduated'-in degrees. A pointer s? is secured'toa=fiangefr8 at the' front end of bushing 51 for swinging the jifoirlt'eraround the scale 55 epsn mnaem "of arm "41 v A bracket 59 is secured tothe -front ehdoi arm d'l to on'e side of whiclra' tool holder 69 issecured for ve'rtical swin'ging "movements? means ofa set screw 6| whose"head -bin'cls against the rear -of "a semi-circular dial plate 62Q-fi'ir'ed to bracket Sa as shown more clearly in Figure '8,

and positioned parallel to {arm 41-.

The tool holder fieis for'me'd "with a groove 63 in-its outer surfacein*which a dental instrument fi' 4' is-clamped invertica'llyadj'ustedposition by a thumb nut 65 threaded ih aguide ii'fi'bridging thegroove.Tl1e front 'fac'eo'f diaI 'pl'ateEZ is provided witha sc'al'e fi'lgraduated in degrees and a pointer68-is suitably secured to tool holder60 'toproject upwardly therefrom 'for swinging around scale '57 uponadjustment of the tool holder. f i

In the operationof the device,a dental instrument 55 is clampedingroov'e 63 of tool holder 60 in aposition for the engagement of'the'lower end of the instrument with sharpening stone *9.

swinging the tool holder 60 on its pivot and locking the same by setscrew 6!, and the instrument is adjusted in its transversely inclinedposition by rotating arm 41 in block 43 and locking thesame -by-setscrew 44.

The instrument may-also beadjusted longitudinally and transversely withrespect to its starting position on stone Si by sliding the arm H -;inblock 4-3 and by sliding block 53 on cross bar 39, both of suchadjustments being held by set screw M. The block 43 and tool holdingarm. 47 may be adjusted vertically in posts 29 by raising or loweringcross bar 39.

With the instrument 64 held in its proper starting position with respectto sharpening stone 'Q, handle '23 is rotated in a proper direction torotate shafts l8 and 22, the shaft 1 8 swinging arm l1 horizontally toslide tray 8 and sharpening stone 9 ma reciprocating movement in'guides13 of heads of the base 5.

As the instrumented reaches the end oi stone 9, cam 21 on shaft 22 willraise-rocker arm 26 to swing posts 29 rearwardly'to thus raise theinstrument out of contact with the stone "and to hold the instrument inits raised position during return stroke of the stone, and at thecompletion of such return stroke the spring 28 will lower rocker arm 26,swing posts 29 forwardly and again lower instrument'tfi to contact thestone.

The raising and lowering 'movement of the instrument duringreciprocating movement of the stone is slight and the. posts 29 may bereleased from rocker arm 2-6 by releasing set screv 3? and the postsmanually swung rearwardly to raise arm '41 and instrument E ia desiredheight for inspection of the instrument and for removal and replacingother instruments in the holder.

In view of theforegoing description taken in conjunction'with theaccompanying drawings it is believed that a clear understanding of theconstruction, operation and advantages of the device will'be quiteapparent to those skilled in this art. A'more detailed "description isaccordirigly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there ishereinsho'w'nand described-a preferred embodiment of the inventionthe-"same is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended bythespirit of the invention as herein described and the scope of theappended claims.

Having describedthe invention, what is-clairned as new is:

1. A tool sharpener comprising -reciprocable sharpening stone, "apair-of upstanding rockable supports adjacent one end of th'e stone,cr'oss bar connecting the upper ends of the sup-ports toeach other,"a-tool supnortin'g armfairarm holding member slidably'carriedby the-cro'ss'b'ar' and in which the tool supporting arm is slidabIy androtatably positioned, and-a tool holder pivotally mounted at one end ofthe arm.

A tool sh'arpene'r comprising a hollow base, a sharpening stone'slidably supported on 'the base, an upstanding rockable support pivotedto the base adjacent one end of the stone, a tool supporting ar'm,'meansearriedby the upstanding support sli'dably androtatably supportingthe arm above the stone, mechanism in the. base reciprocably actuatingthe stone and including a REFERENCES CITED Shaft a rocker arm plvoted atend In the The following references are of record in the base, cam meanson the shaft actuating the rocker fil f this patent;

arm, and connecting means between the rocker 5 arm and the upstandingsupport to raise and UNITED STATES PATENTS lower the tool supporting armin timed relation Number Name Date to the movement of the stone, saidconnecting 1 411 713 Downing Apt 4 1922 means including means on theoutside of the 1605784 Schmitt 1926 base for releasing the upstandingsupport for 1Q 2165929 Lentz 1939 manual mcking mwement thermf 2:391:260Miller EZZYIII: Dec. 181 1945 CHANT A. MILLER. SAMUEL L. BORDER.

